Complicated social life

Hannah has been invited to a party after school on Friday. The party girl is the daughter of a couple who attended the same ante natal classes that Dave and I attended.

The ante natal crew used to meet regularly pre and post babies being born. Some of us are still in touch. I go belly dancing with two of the mums, well one actually because Sandra never turns up.

Contact with this one family though is sketchy, sort of Christmas and maybe once a year in the summer.

So a party after school on a Friday when Hannah's invited and Ethan isn't, poses a problem, especially when the party is an hours drive away.

I declined, on Hannah's behalf. My reason was that I couldn't find a babysitter for Ethan.

I then talk to a belly dancing ex ante natal friend whose daughter has accepted their invitation. She doesn't want her daughter to go to the party knowing none of the other guests and she wants Hannah to go.

She offers to take Hannah but, logistically, this is a nightmare.

Anyway, I then talk to another friend and she tells me that she'd look after Ethan.

This is all very kind but the party is 4:30 'til 6:30 and with an hour of travel home this means this isn't really feasible given Ethan's bedtime is 7:00.

The the party girl's mum calls and tells me Ethan is welcome, he just wasn't on the invitation.
So Hannah is now going.

This means bundling Hannah and Ethan in a car after school on Friday, driving for an hour, changing Hannah into party dress, listening to another entertainer for a couple of hours, then driving two very, very tired children home. They'll probably skip a bath as they'll be home after 7:30 and Dave's out of the town on Friday night so I'll be handling bedtime solo.

So for Hannah and Ethan it'll be quick wash, brush teeth, change into pyjamas and then to bed about an hour after bedtime.

For me it'll be an open bottle of wine and me falling asleep on the sofa in front of Jonathan Ross.